Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire‘s release on Netflix may have stirred up a hunger of quality space-operas, bringing some old movies back into the limelight due to their similarity. Having been a passion project for Zack Snyder for years, Rebel Moon has finally come to fruition, releasing the first part of its epic, galaxy-spanning science fiction saga for streaming on Netflix. While the slated release date for Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver bubbles on the horizon, eager fans can subsist on some strikingly similar sci-fi fare and action fare in the meantime.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire wears its influences on its sleeve, being described by Snyder himself as a blend between space fantasy and the works of famed Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa. Specifically, Snyder points to Seven Samurai as the film’s progenitor, being the first thoughtful action spectacle to popularize the trope of putting together a crew of misfits to protect a vulnerable community. Whether being similar in setting or narrative, there are plenty of films that can satisfy the Rebel Moon itch before the release of the saga’s second entry.
10 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
1977
The paragon of science fiction that popularized space fantasy, it’s no surprise that Star Wars should be at the top of the list when it comes to films similar to Rebel Moon. Snyder’s inspiration stemming from the franchise is clear as day upon watching Rebel Moon, the film feeling like a clear homage complete with plasma-based melee weaponry, exotic practical aliens, and an Empire equivalent. A New Hope was also the first film to blend science fiction with Akria Kurosawa, with Star Wars‘ plot emulating Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress almost beat-for-beat.
9 Heavy Metal
1981
Though Star Wars is a clear influence on Rebel Moon in terms of set dressing and spectacle, viewers will have to look elsewhere for science fiction films that echo Snyder’s decidedly darker tone. Enter Heavy Metal, a Canadian fantasy anthology film that lives up to its name via sex appeal, violence, and outlandish imagery. Earning its R rating, Heavy Metal is an unabashedly earnest delve into depravity through the lens of slick 80s hand-drawn animation.
8 Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
Despite its attachment to the MCU, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy truly stands alone as a venerated, praise-worthy science fiction action-comedy series. While really any entry featuring the Guardians would do as a Rebel Moon stand-in, the first film makes some of the best use of the ensemble cast of alien misfits’ endlessly watchable dynamic. Since the fate of the series is unclear following the conclusive end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the entire trilogy would be worth a revisit in the impeding shadow of Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver.
7 Jupiter Ascending
2015
Zack Snyder is far from the only significant creative to try his hand at piloting a weighty space opera saga, brazenly going forward with the idea past the corpse of the Wachowski sisters’ own attempt back in 2015. Jupiter Ascending is a fascinating, if not overall quality, science fiction epic whose many failures contrast the great potential of the world building and dizzyingly beautiful visuals. Considering Rebel Moon‘s own contentious critical reception, taking a look back at Jupiter Ascending to see what went wrong might benefit Snyder just as much as it would benefit his fans.
6 The Fifth Element
1997
Despite being a decidedly more comedic, light-hearted, and cartoonish take on a space opera compared to the dramatic gravitas of Rebel Moon, The Fifth Element is an undeniable classic of the genre that can’t be left out of the conversation of similar films. Bruce Willis’ deadpan blue-collar performance in the face of Gary Oldman’s garish space villainy is endlessly rewatchable, and the film is certainly in on its own joke, never taking itself too seriously. From the bizarre aliens to the unforgettable cast of quirky characters, The Fifth Element is a crime to skip on any space fantasy binge.
5 Flash Gordon
1980
Only a few years after the success of Star Wars, Mike Hodges swung for the fences with a daring resuscitation of ancient science fiction hero Flash Gordon. The pulpy adventure, starring a pre-Bond Timothy Dalton, doesn’t let up on the campy fun, providing a memorable if, at times, laughably bad experience that is sure to provide entertainment value. Flash Gordon knows what it is, and doesn’t try to be anything more — In an age of increasingly unaware Blockbusters that take themselves as gravely serious, it’s at least a good appetite cleanser on a journey backwards through American sci-fi.
4 Time Masters
1982
Also known by its native French title, Les Maîtres Du Temps, Time Masters is an animated time capsule that can stand with the best of the great space opera epics as a thoughtful, trippy journey into French science fiction. The stunning art direction is truly a product of its time in the best way, and while the plot often veers into the incomprehensible, even for native French speakers, it’s still worth throwing up on the home screen just for the spectacle alone. There are few better options for an under-the-radar adventure through time and space with mind-boggling sequences sure to leave an impression.
3 The Last Starfighter
1984
While The Last Starfighter might not be the most original adventure, closely retracing the steps to Star Wars success only seven years prior, it’s still worth watching in its own right as one of the best space operas around without a “Star-” prefix. The film is unique among the genre for featuring a relatable Earthling who gets swept into the adventure, avoiding the pitfall of spouting eons of condensed in-universe history in favor of a simplified, character-focused coming-of-age story. Full of heart and ahead of its time, The Last Starfighter is a mandatory stop along the road of prestige space fantasy leading to Rebel Moon.
2 The Seven Samurai
1954
Though not a science fiction film, The Seven Samurai is the one piece of media that Snyder directly admits served as inspiration for Rebel Moon. He couldn’t have chosen better influences, as The Seven Samurai remains to this day one of the most important action movies of all time. Taking his time to build up a powerhouse cast of distinct samurai before finally pitting them against the remorseless bandits, Kurosawa’s career-defining, katana-slinging epic is worthy grounds to serve as the foundation for an action franchise.
1 The Magnificent Seven
1960
The first film to use The Seven Samurai as a source code, The Magnificent Seven is a Western that defined the ensemble cast in the eyes of Hollywood. Having long been admitted as a direct adaptation of Kurosawa’s classic into the medium of the West, both 1960s The Magnificent Seven and the 2016 remake of the same name spend more time ruminating on the sacrifices made in defense of the innocent. This theme, more than any science fiction setting or spectacular action setpieces, strikes a chord with the endeavors of the Rebel Moon series more than anything else.
